Bald Eagle About to Strike

Photographing at the maximum frame rate of the new Sony a9 III (120 frames per second) adds a whole new level to capturing that decisive moment. I have TOO MANY frames from my recently concluded Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska.

I chose this one for the less-than-perfectly-clean talons; some grass is stuck to its frosty left talon.

Join me next March for my Eagles Galore Workshop and five incredible days of Eagle photography. Note that others offering similar (or less) field time are charging more than USD$1,000 more for the same trip, but they are timed too early and risk their boat being stuck frozen in the harbour, as was the case for many Eagle photographers this year.

Bald Eagle about to strike (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 6, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Tele-extender @840mm ISO 10,000, f/5.6 @ 1/8,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle Portrait a la Sony a9III

What a nightmare! The new Sony a9III, at 120 frames per second, offers incredible choice, but the subtle differences between images are an absolute nightmare to edit after each of the four-hour action-filled sessions that we have had with the Eagles so far. The autofocus is even more impressive than the Sony a1, so there is no easy way to rule out anything that is not tack-sharp. A great problem to have - smile!

Since it is a lot easier to choose a portrait, here is one of the last images I made yesterday using the new Sony a9III dialled down to only 30 FPS (I like some choice to get the best head and eye position - smile. I used my Sony 600mm f/4 lens paired with the Sony 2X tele-extender and stopped down to f/20 while the camera easily focused on the eye.

Bald Eagle Portrait (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 2X Tele-extender @1,200mm ISO 1,000, f/20 @ 1/160s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle OUT of THE STORM

Nothing is more glorious after a dark and rainy day than the following morning sky clearing in the East with residual storm clouds in the background with golden light. I photographed this beauty during my Bald Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska.

Bald Eagle Into the Light (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm ISO 1,600, f/4 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Photographed vertically. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop in March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle Into The Light

This image was made during the last drops of golden light as this Eagle aggressively chased another Eagle to steal its fish. I felt disappointed when they banked off the light angle and ducked into the shadows; I thought I didn’t get anything. Suddenly, this Eagle emerged from the darkness and was illuminated by the sweetest light - smile.

Bald Eagle Into the Light (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm ISO 1,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop in March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Fishing Bald Eagle Exploding Head-on with Fish

A Bald Eagle explodes towards us with freshly caught fish during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. I can’t think of anything as thrilling in nature photography as when you review your images and realize you got the shot!

We have two spots open for my March 10-14 Eagles Galore trip due to an unfortunate medical emergency, so join me for the Ultimate Alaskan Eagles Galore trip of a lifetime if you can get to Alaska in time.

Fishing Bald Eagle Exploding Head-on with Fish (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens. ISO 4,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop every March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle with fresh fish in nice light

Last-minute cancellation = last-minute opportunity

I have had a last-minute cancellation of two spots for my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. If you can get to Homer, Alaska, in time for the Eagles Galore Workshop from March 10 to 14, 2024, please let me know, and we can discuss a discount. Act quickly; I usually don’t discount trips!

Bald Eagle with Fresh Fish in nice light (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @600mm ISO 1,600, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop every March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to learn more about my Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska

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CLICK HERE to learn more about my Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska 🦅

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

Here is a Gray-crowned Rosy finch from my Eagles Galore and so much more workshop in Alaska. We carefully placed some birdseed just over the edge of the snowbank after a foot of fresh snow fell overnight.

Did you know? A group of rosy-finches are collectively known as a "bouquet" of finches.

Bald Eagle Silhouette

Here is another Bald Eagle from my Bald Eagles Galore Workshop near Homer, Alaska, in March. I usually work tighter for more visual impact online but I love the little horizon at the bottom of the frame. We had tons of fun with the silhouette opportunities that the fabulous weather offered - smile!

Blad Eagle with fresh catch in the mountains

It seemed like the beautiful light would never end during my recently concluded Eagles Galore Workshops. We had endless light, flat water and perfect winds for most of both trips, so we got to use up all of our boat time and we even squeezed in some extra! Oh, and did I mention the Eagles were off the charts?

Bald Eagle with fish birdscape

We had spectacular light for both of my Eagles Galore workshops in Alaska. This was from a very windy day which meant that the eagles would grab a fish and fly directly into the heavy gusts, which propelled them skyward while quickly gaining altitude - often banking to reveal their fresh catch against the mountains while illuminated by the golden light.

Bald Eagle pre sunrise pastels

We were out before the sun every day of both Eagles Galore workshops and saw some incredible pastel hues in the sky - smile.

Bald Eagle out of the shadows

A Bald Eagle banks out of the shadows, illuminated by the very last drops of golden light during my recently concluded Eagles Galore workshop in Alaska. We had some epic weather, flat water and amazing light with both groups using all of our allotment of boat time (with a little extra bonus). Join me in Alaska next March for an Epic Alaskan Eagle adventure workshop!

Eagles Galore Workshop every March

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Learn more and sign-up HERE

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Eagles Galore Workshop every March 🦅 Learn more and sign-up HERE 🦅

Bald Eagle Workshop update

There are still a couple of spots left for my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. Join me for the adventure, Eagles Galore and so much more!

Click HERE to learn more.

Join the adventure and bring home a portfolio full of Bald Eagle images LEARN MORE HERE

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Join the adventure and bring home a portfolio full of Bald Eagle images LEARN MORE HERE 🦅

Bad Eagle Hunting

Another Bald Eagle on the hunt photographed during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska with the Sony FE 100-400mm G Master zoom lens @ 263mm.

Bald Eagle with four wings - caption this!

It’s Sunday = Funday! Caption this!

The rare and elusive four-winged Bald Eagle of Kachemak Bay, AK. Loch Ness has its sea monster, and you have heard it here first; Kachemak Bay has its own “never seen” monster!

Leave a comment with your caption, and I will dig up a prize to send to the person with the best one!

Bald Eagle Trophy Hunter

Another Bald Eagle from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. Cloudy bright light makes for beautiful low contrast and soft backgrounds, but it is the lack of contrasty shadows that I love most when there is a nice cloud cover.

Join me for Eagles Galore and a dream Alaskan adventure. Learn more HERE.

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Join me for Eagles Galore and a dream Alaskan adventure. Learn more HERE. 🦅

Sea Otter love

Everybody loves sea otters! This mother and pup were curled-up at the end of the wharf for their afternoon nap. We got a few images and let them be.

Glaucous-winged Gulls

Glaucous-winged Gulls seem to be everywhere during my Eagles Galore Workshop near Homer, Alaska. Life as a seabird can be tough; once you find food, you have to eat it before another bird steals it. Not to worry, the bird with the fish ate it within the next two frames.

Bald Eagle

A Bald Eagle from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. There really wasn’t much light so it was the perfect time to grab the new (at the time) Sony FE 70–200 mm F2.8 GM OSS II and give it a test. I opted for the faster aperture of f/2.8 since I was working at 8,000 ISO. I love the light reflecting off the fresh snow illuminating the underside of the wings in this frame.

Bald Eagle Fishing Tales

Look closely :) A Bald Eagle banking in flight with fresh catch from my Alaska Eagles Galore Workshop in March. Join me for an incredible workshop with more Eagles than you can imagine. Learn more about my March Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska HERE.